The importance of the educational and consulting nature of ethics of research committees (ERCs) highlights the value of research which studies these dimensions in the committees. Aims: to analyze how ERCs have carried out their educational and consulting role; to learn whether advisors have some training in research ethics; to identify whether researchers had guidance about research ethics in their academic career. This is a quantitative and descriptive study approved by CEP/UESB under protocol 134/2009, carried out with 95 informants and analyzed by Software Sphinx. According to data obtained, nearly 71.5% research participants consider educational and consulting activities carried out by ERC infrequent or lacking; 60% participants have some ethical training in their academic career. These data show that ERCs need greater institutional support and funding in order to consolidate their educational-consulting dimension.